


yosuke, the latte boy

by sleeepybear



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, M/M, Songfic, THIS IS INDULGENT, i dont care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-21 17:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21059903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeepybear/pseuds/sleeepybear
Summary: Kanji and Naoto, they have busy lives, managing Tatsumi Textiles together and Naoto’s detective work. Rise has idol stuff to do, so he doesn’t get to talk to her either.So right now, the best he gets is a text or two from his friends. Maybe a phone call if he’s lucky. So it’s easy to see why he doesn’t really date.But oh god, if love at first sight is a thing, this is it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im not sorry
> 
> hi! coffee shop stuff and a songfic put together into one
> 
> The song is called 'Taylor, the Latte Boy' and is the inspo for this whole thing  
go look it up and listen its worth your time  
ok now read this

This is the worst day of Yu Narukami’s life.   


  
This is the worst day of his life, because when he walked into the Starbucks, precisely at 8:11, as he always does before work, the usual barista wasn’t there. Oh no. No, it just had to be  _ literally the cutest dude he’s ever seen in his life. _ _   
_

__   
For a  __ very long time, Yu has not had time for romance stuff. He had school and work, then just work, and the occasional friendly hangout. But Kanji and Naoto, they have busy lives, managing Tatsumi Textiles together and Naoto’s detective work. Rise has idol stuff to do, so he doesn’t get to talk to her either.   


  
So right now, the best he gets is a text or two from his friends. Maybe a phone call if he’s lucky. So it’s easy to see why he doesn’t really date.   


  
But oh god, if love at first sight is a thing, this is it.   


  
Yu actually had to sit down, pretending to look at his phone so he could work up the nerve to actually go and order. He’s going to be late to work, and his boss is going to yell at him but it's so worth it.   


  
He keeps shooty glances at the sleepy barista. He’s got brown hair, and maybe brown eyes? But it’s hard to tell from this far away. Yu tries to make out what his name tag says, but he can’t  _ quite _ see it.   


  
So the only option is to just go up there.   


  
Which is easier said than done.   


  
He ends up waiting until 8:17, finally getting the nerve to go up to the counter and order his usual.   


  
“Hey. Uh. Just one cappuccino, please.” Yu orders, glancing down at the barista’s nametag. Yosuke. God.   


  
The fucking kanji mean  _ sunshine.  _ Yu might cry. This barista is a living ray of sunshine on this earth.   


  
“For sure, man.” The barista, Yosuke, starts making his drink. “What kind of milk?”   


  
There’s a pause while Yu remembers how to breathe.   


  
“Skim, please.”    


  
“Right.” Yosuke covers his mouth, yawning into it, before finishing up the drink and handing it over to Yu, along with the lid. “That’ll be four hundred yen.”   


  
Yu fumbles for a moment, getting out the proper change and handing it to Yosuke.    


  
“Thanks.” Yosuke puts it into the register, then looks back up. “See you later.”   


  
“..Yeah. See you.” Yu shuffles off with his coffee, fishing out his phone as he leaves the coffee shop. He resists the urge to skip down the sidewalk.   
  
**  
** _ YN > Naoto, I might be in love. _ __   
  
  


He has to wait a while before he gets a response. He’s halfway to the train station by then.   
  
__   
_ NS > You know better then to come to me for love advice. _ __   
__   
_ YN > Naoto Shirogane, the girl who took 3 years to find out about the most obvious crush on the planet. _ __   
__   
_ NS > Exactly. _ __   
__   
_ NS > Also, shut up. _ __   
__   
_ NS > I’m busy. Text Rise. Kanji is currently indisposed. _ __   
__   
_ YN > Ohoho? _ __   
__   
_ NS > I’m blocking your number, you jerk. _ __   
__   
  


Yu snickers to himself. Good ol’ Naoto. Romance is more Rise’s thing, she’s right about that. He can’t help but wonder why Kanji is currently unavailable, but he knows better than to ask. Otherwise, Naoto might just make good on her threat to block him.   
  
He waits patiently at the train station, opening up his conversation with Rise. Yu sips his coffee, and nearly swoons. It’s  _ good.  _ Better than usual, somehow, even though he ordered the same thing he always does.    
  
Rise’s going to go nuts over this one.   
  
  
_ YN > Rise, I might be in love. _ __   
__   
  


It doesn’t take long at all for her to respond.

  
  
_ RK > and its not with me? :(((( _ __   
__   
_ RK > jk! tell me everything! how cute is she? _ __   
_   
_ __ RK > sorry, he. how cute is he???

Yu smiles at his phone like an idiot. Rise’s bubbly personality is oozing through the phone. God, that girl is the personification of sparkle.    
  
__   
_ YN > Haha. _ __   
__   
_ YN > But you’re right, it is a he. This new barista at Starbucks. _ __   
__   
_ RK > ohoho, coffeeshop romance???  _ __   
__   
_ YN > Hush. How do I even talk to a guy? _ __   
__   
_ RK > i dont have time to date :( i dont know either! ask naoto or kanji maybe _ __   
__   
_ YN > Tried that first. Both unavailable/busy.  _ __   
__   
_ RK > more like getting busy lmfao _ __   
__   
_ RK > i’ll think of smthin, dont you worry _ __   
__   
_ RK > now go to work ur late _ __   
__   
_ YN > How do you know my schedule? _ __   
__   
_ RK > go!!! _ __   
__   
  


Yu shakes his head, powering off his phone and putting it back in his pocket.   


  
He gets to work late, just as he thought he would. And his boss gives him shit for it, just like he thought would happen. It doesn’t even matter, since he has that coffee and the memory of the barista to carry him through the day.    


  
“Got a special girl on your mind, Narukami?” One of the older ladies at his job teases him.   


  
Yu just smiles politely. “Something like that.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few questions are raised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick chapter for u  
pls enjoy thx

The next morning, Yu genuinely contemplates avoiding getting a coffee. If he goes and drools over the barista like he did yesterday, he'll be late again.

Despite this reasoning, he still goes. He just gets there a bit earlier.

And Yosuke's there in all his sleepy, perfect glory.

Is it creepy to think thoughts like that? That's something he'll have to ask Naoto, because right now Yu's legs are carrying him to the counter.

A look of recognition crosses Yosuke's face as Yu approaches, which means that he actually  _ noticed  _ and  _ remembered _ him.

"Oh, hey. I remember you." Yosuke says once Yu gets to the counter. 

"Yeah. I come here a lot." Yu nods.

"You want the same thing?" He asks, hand already poised to grab a cup.

"Yeah."

"Got it. That'll be right up."

And then it's a waiting game. Yu wants to actually have more of a conversation with him, but…

Nope, fuck it. Life's too short. 

"My name is, uhm, Yu. By the way." He sounds too nervous for his own liking.

"Cool. I'm Yosuke, but…" The barista looks down at his name tag. "You already knew that, huh?"

"Yeah. I did."

Yosuke finishes his drink, handing it over. He hadn't put a lid on it this time, and…

Oh God.

"Did you give me extra foam?" Yu stares at his cup in awe.

"Yeah. I mean, just figured, why not." Yosuke shrugs, and Yu is sure this is love.

"...Thanks. Uh, see you tomorrow."

And then he's blessed with a smile.

Yu fumbles for his cash once more, handing over the same amount from yesterday. Yosuke didn't even charge him for the extra foam.

Yu leaves, walking a bit faster to the train station. He can't be late, but…

He calls Naoto. She actually picks up.

_ "Is this about your coffee lover again, Yu?"  _ She cuts him off before he can even say hello.

"You're too good, Naoto."

" _ I know. What happened this time?" _

"He gave me extra foam, and didn't charge me for it."

_ "That's… good." _

"And he smiled at me. I've never seen anything like it."

_ "Yu…”  _ Naoto breathes out a sigh.   


  
“Cmon, I’m not crazy, right? There could be something there, I’m sure of it.”    
  


_ “I hate to rain on your parade, but there's a very really possibly that he doesn't like m- Kanji! No!" _

There's a fumbling sound, scuffling, and then an out of breath Kanji picks up the line.

_ "Hey, Yu, I think you should-- damnit, Naoto, no biting!-- you should totally try to get to know this dude, if he likes guys or not, you'll still have a-- ow!" _

There's another scuffle.

  
Yu can picture Naoto fighting for her phone back. It's a funny image, considering Kanji is a solid foot taller than his girlfriend. He gets hung up on soon afterwards, probably by mistake.   


  
That’s fine. Yu slides his phone back into his pocket, boarding the train.    


  
What sucks is that Naoto’s right. She’s always right. Yosuke probably isn’t even into guys, and Yu has no way of asking. No way that isn’t creepy, of course. Just  _ asking _ him is a solid way to scare Yosuke off.   


  
He’s not late for work this time, but he’s not as productive as he usually is. The dilemma of sexuality is in the forefront of his mind.    


  
It’s what he’s thinking about even on his short walk back to his apartment.   


  
A bit of movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention, breaking him out of his thoughts.    
  
It’s… It’s Yosuke?    


  
Before Yu can even think about calling out to him, he’s disappearing through a back door. It looked like he had something with him, but he was gone too fast for Yu to figure out what it was.   


  
Huh.   


  
Going around to the front of the building, Yu tries to figure out where he went. It seems to be a bar of some kind?    


  
He takes note of the name of the place, heading the rest of the way home.    


  
Maybe he can ask Yosuke about it tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooooo why is yosuke going in the back door of a bar oooo so spooky
> 
> im kidding it's not anything crazy lol
> 
> see you in chapter 3 pls tell me what u think of this


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gig in a bar, and tabloid rumors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> where tf is this story going
> 
> who knows!
> 
> enjoy

With doubts in his mind but hope in his heart, Yu heads to the Starbucks the very next morning, the same as always.    
  
Once he has gotten home last night, Yu tried once again to reach his friends. They all went to voice-mail, so he’s on his own today. All he wants to do is ask what he was doing last night, but would that seem too creepy? Yosuke might think he was following him or something.   


  
Naoto’s warning rings in his head.   


  
_ There’s a very real possibility he doesn’t like men. _   


  
Which is, frankly, a terrifying possibility. One that makes him want to never return to this Starbucks ever again, and just move to the other side of this city  _ just  _ to make sure he never sees Yosukes again, but he doesn’t have the funds for that. And Naoto would do that disappointed sigh thing she does at him.   


  
So into the Starbucks he goes, not so carefully guarding his heart from being broken in two.   


  
The guard is quickly dropped, as when Yosuke looks up to see who just came in, his face lights up. Like he had been wanting to see Yu.    


  
Fuck, he has absolutely no defense against that.    


  
Yu heads up to the counter to order.   


  
“Hey. I already got the usual going for you.” Yosuke gestures to the machine, and all Yu can do is nod gratefully while he tries to pretend his heart doesn’t feel like it’s being squeezed.    


  
“I wanted to talk to you about something, okay?” Yosuke hands him a flier. Yu glances it over. “I’m playing this gig at a bar tonight, and I thought you’d wanna come.”    


  
“A.. gig?” Yu looks up. “You play an instrument?”   


  
“Yeah, the guitar.” And then he smiles, and Yu has to put effort into not kneeling over and dying from how fucking cute it is. “You can bring a plus one, if you want?”    


  
“Yea. Yea, for sure. I’ll be there.” He looks over the flier once more, as Yosuke puts the lid on his coffee and hands it over.    


  
Yu folds the flier up neatly, putting it into his back pocket while reaching into the other to pay--   


  
Yosuke puts up a hand to stop him. “Hey, don’t worry about it. This one’s on me, alright?”    


  
Yu is in love. He’s genuinely, seriously in love.   


  
“O-oh. Yea, okay, uhm. Thank you, Yosuke. See you tonight.” He fumbles through his words, grabbing his coffee and getting the heck out of dodge as heat rises in his cheeks.   


  
If he’s not into guys, Yu will eat his fucking hat. If he was wearing a hat, that is.   


  
He sips at his coffee on the train, pulling out his phone.

  
  
_ YN > Guess who got invited to a little gig at a bar tonight. _ __   
__   
_ YN > Wanna be my plus one? _ __   
  


__   
Not even a minute goes by.   
  


_RK > heck yes!!!!!__  
__  
__RK > latte boy plays something?__  
__  
__YN > Guitar.__  
__  
__RK > marry him or else i will__  
__  
__YN > Is that a threat?__  
__  
__RK > damn right it is!!! this man is a CATCH__  
__  
__YN > Well. I’ll send you the details.__  
__  
__RK > u better!!~__  
__  
_  
Yu takes a picture of the flier, sending it Rise’s way. She just sends back a string of emojis he can’t even begin to decipher the meaning of.   
  
  
Work is tedious, but it’s a bit easier to concentrate then it was yesterday. Yosuke, at least in Yu’s mind, was __definitely showing interest. Right? He didn’t charge Yu for the coffee, that had to mean something.   


  
He texts Rise throughout the day, arranging to meet her outside of the bar later that night.   


  
7:00 couldn’t come any sooner.   


  
He shows up too early, purely from nerves, the folded up flier in his pocket. Yu doesn’t have to wait long, maybe 5 minutes, before he feels somebody pounce on him from behind.   


  
“Yuuuu!~” A familiar voice says, grabbing onto his arm.   


  
“Hey, Rise.” He can’t help but smile-- Rise’s bubbly personality was contagious.   


  
“It’s been so long! I missed you. Give me a proper hug!” She demands, and he gives in, having to lean down slightly due to a small height difference.   


  
She’s not in her usual flashy attire-- it’s more laid back, using a hat and switching up her hairstyle to disguise herself. Her hair is down, not in its signature twintails.    
  


“How have you been?” He asks. He hasn’t really discussed  _ her _ in a while-- he’s just been focused on this Yosuke thing.   


  
“Pretty good! Working on my new album, all that, y’know.” 

  
“Tell me about it?” He hooks his arm with hers, heading inside the bar.   


  
“Only if you promise not to leak anything.” She winks, and goes in when he opens the door for her.

  
“Of course, of course.” Yu follows her inside, glancing around the dimly lit bar. It’s a good atmosphere. He might just come back here again, another time.    


  
Rise hangs off of his arm, like she always does. It’s just, what she does. It happens with Naoto and Kanji too. She’s touchy like that. He’s gotten used to it.    


  
Yu spots the reason they’re here-- Yosuke over there, with a guitar case. There’s a tiny stage and performing area in the bar, where he’s setting up.   


  
Yu waves at him, trying to catch his attention. It works, and Yosuke abandons his guitar to come say hello.   


  
A weird look flashes over his face when he spots Rise, but it’s gone before Yu can even really pinpoint what it was.   


  
“Hey, I’m glad you could get here.” Yosuke puts his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight a bit uncomfortably. “This your plus one?”   


  
“That’s right.” Yu nods. “Rise, meet Yosuke. Yosuke, Rise.”    


  
“Wait, Rise? Like,  _ the  _ Rise? As in, Risette?” It slowly dawns on Yosuke. You can see the progression on his face. “Dude you know an  _ idol?!”  _   


  
“Shhh!” Rise shushes him, putting a finger to her mouth. “Not so loud! I’m strictly incognito, okay?”    


  
“God. And you’re gonna hear me sing.” Yosuke seems equal parts horrified and excited.   


  
“Ooh! What song?” Rise’s eyes shine.    


  
“Uhm... You wanna see my music?”    


  
“Sure!”   


  
Yu is essentially abandoned, as the two music nerds head off to talk about music stuff. He was never really musical. Played violin for a few years before dropping it, but that was about it.    


  
He takes a seat, ordering a drink and waiting for the show to start.   
  
\---------   
  
  
The next morning, Naoto awakens with her normal routine of being shaken awake by her boyfriend. You wouldn’t think this was the case, but Kanji was the earlier riser out of the two.   


  
“Naoto. Ya gotta come see this shit.”   


  
“Mm? What’s so important..?” She sits up, rubbing one of her eyes at yawning.   
  
Kanji shows her an article on his phone. She reads the title out loud.    


  
“‘Superstar Idol Risette Makes A Surprise Performance At Local Bar’” She reads. “So… Rise was getting up to something.”   


  
“There’s more.” Kanji scrolls down.    


  
There’s a picture with the article. A brunette she doesn’t know strumming the guitar, Rise front and center singing her heart out, and--   


  
A silver head of hair in the corner she’d know anywhere.   


  
“Oh. Oh no. Is that..?”   


  
“Coffee boy and Yu? Yea, I think it is. Listen to this.” Kanji has her full attention now.    


  
“It says, ‘Risette was spotted in a dim bar in downtown Tokyo last night, singing her heart out,’ blah blah.. Here it is. ‘The brunette strumming the guitar is a mystery, but we’re more  concerned with the man Rise was seen walking into the bar with. A possible boyfriend? You decide.’”    


  
Naoto takes the phone from him, reading that bit for herself.   


  
“Well.” She hands it back, fully awake now.  “Who’s going to tell Yu?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! welcome to the end of this chapter
> 
> hoo fucking boy ladies and gents idk where this is going but it'll be fun for sure
> 
> pls tell me what u think!!

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to the end
> 
> i am trash
> 
> pls tell me what u think hope u enjoyed mwah


End file.
